WHY KINDERBOOKS?
Research shows again and again: Reading to your child is important on so many levels - language, imagination, communication, logic, empathy, concentration.... It strengthens the bond with your child, makes you understand the interests of your kid. And: the earlier you start, the better.
If you are raising a bilingual child, reading to your child early on- if possible every day - in German can make a huge difference. The more books you can get hold of, the better. The more engaging the book, the more appealing the illustrations, the bigger the variety of books, the more your children will make the effort to read (or ask you read) in German.
But finding the right books can be hard and costly. That is where we come in. We pick the best titles among (modern) classics and new releases in German. We offer a big selection on a wide range of subjects and styles in fiction and non-fiction. And deliver them to your door. So you can focus on reading and having fun with your child.
OUR STORY
Kinderbooks-Founder, Beatrice Beckmann, grew up in a house with ten meters of floor-to-ceiling shelves full of books, some with double rows (de-cluttering was not a thing yet). No wonder she developed a passion for books as soon as she could read and wanted to be a writer. She has worked in publishing all her professional life, mainly in Germany and speaks four languages. Today she lives in New York and is the mother of an almost two year old son. Frustrated with the choices for children's books in German she found in New York, she founded Kinderbooks, to share her passion for books and language and help other parents on the sometimes difficult quest of raising a bilingual child.
You can reach her at beatrice.beckmann(at)googlemail.com
WHY KINDERBOOKS?
Children love being read to. According to studies of Stiftung Lesen in Germany, more than 90% of all children enjoy it and more than a third wish their parents read to them more often.
Research also shows again and again: Reading to your child is important on so many levels. It helps with language, imagination, communication, logic, empathy, concentration.... It strengthens the bond with your child and makes you understand the interests of your kid. The earlier you start, the better.
If you are raising a bilingual child, reading to your child in German daily can make a crucial difference. Experts say the magical number is somewhere between 15 and 30 minutes a day. Why? Living abroad the vocabulary your child is exposed to is limited to home situations and probably is restricted to only a few people. Books help to bridge that gap and expose your child to lots of new different words and sayings. It may well turn a passive listener of German to an active German speaker. Books also make your child more acquainted to the German speaking culture, after all Europe is an ocean away. It helps if the topics of the books match the interests of the child. The books also shouldn't be too challenging or too easy. And the more engaging the book, the more appealing the illustrations, the bigger the variety of books, the more your children will make the effort to read (or ask you to read) in German.
But finding the right books can be hard and costly. That is where we come in. We pick the best titles among (modern) classics and new releases in German. We offer a big selection on a wide range of subjects, genres and styles in fiction and non-fiction. And deliver them to your door. So you can focus on reading and having fun with your child.
OUR MISSION
We want to provide easy access to children's books in German in the US.
We offer (modern) classics from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, new releases, bestsellers and unusual favorites in fiction and non-fiction.
To lend you the greatest titles available, we carefully look through catalogues, bestseller and award lists, ask experts and parents what is tried and proven.
So your child will expand her German skills and vocabulary, learn about the world, while you have fun reading together.
OUR STORY
(c) Chantal Heijnen
KinderBooks-Founder, Beatrice Beckmann, grew up in a house with ten meters of floor-to-ceiling shelves packed with books (de-cluttering was not a thing yet.) No wonder she developed a passion for books as soon as she could read and wanted to be a writer as a kid. She has worked in publishing all her professional life and speaks four languages: German - her father's language and school language. English - the language her parents spoke together and with the whole family. Italian - her mother's language. And French.
Today she lives in New York and is the mother of two bilingual boys. Frustrated with the choices for children's books in German she found in New York, she founded KinderBooks in late 2016, to share her passion for books and language and help other parents on the sometimes difficult quest of raising a bilingual child.
You can reach her at beatrice@kinderbooks.nyc
